Sean Miller

[gronk4heisman]

I would argue that guys leave early and transfer here due to the culture Sean has built. And the only metric I was using for the improvement was my eyes, which are old and blurry, so take them for what their worth (but looking at stats, the one you mentioned with PJC only rose from 39% to 42%). Maybe I am alone on an island with regards to development under Lute vs Sean and I know Lute is in a league of his own, but I feel like the majority of players regress or plateau early on under Sean's tight reins.

[mofo]

Other than Nick Johnson I can not think of one occasion (over the last 10 years) when I saw a player come back and I said, "Wow he really improved over the summer".

Derrick Williams says hi. I'd also add Kevin Parrom in this group. He improved significantly every year until he was shot.

I know your point and you can argue either way. To me some guys are just better than their recruiting ranking, haven't been ranked thoroughly (e.g. Euro's), are late bloomers, etc. and some are over ranked to begin with, don't have the heart, etc.. I think you can make an argument that every coach in America has guys who developed more than expected and guys that disappointed. It's hard to say this coach has it and that one doesn't, especially now with all the OAD's and transfers. A bench warmer freshman here could decide to transfer and become a star (ala Alex Barcello). That's not to say they wouldn't have been here if they hadn't waited their turn. Also, some places just aren't a fit for a players playing style, patience, discipline, etc.. There isn't one thing that's going to work for everyone, but the best coaches can coach and motivate a lot of different personality types.

[Fendicent4ever]

Marcus Williams did not have a freshman to sophomore jump. In fact he was effectively cut from the team at the end of the 06-07 season.

Man, that guy was hard to root for

[Beachcat97]

Tick tock, tick tock...

[Jefe]

Crickets from Heeke. Its strange to see the President of the entire University more involved than the AD. How involved was Shelton in bringing Miller here?

[zonagrad]

Crickets from Heeke. Its strange to see the President of the entire University more involved than the AD. How involved was Shelton in bringing Miller here?

Shelton couldn't tie his own shoes.

[zonagrad]

There are certain players that are 5* who simply are not worthy of that ranking. Tark was one of them. He was always slow afoot and despite his immense size was never a dominant player. I equate his game to Eric Montrose at UNC. His game never evolved. He served a purpose and a lane clogger for an otherwise athletic team.

Lute had his own over-ranked recruits like Jamelle Horne -- no way was he ever skilled as a 5* and yet there he was as an elite recruit. The trouble with the ranking system is you're never quite sure how far along the improvement curve a player is once he enters college. Anyone remember Schea Cotton? He was a physically dominant high school player out of SoCal and was originally headed to UCLA. His academic/eligibility issues eventually landed him at NC State and then at Alabama. He turned pro early - never reached the NBA and played professionally overseas.

[Chicat]

Sean Miller has had a first team conference player in 11 of his 12 seasons and has had 25 first or second team honorees overall. Best in the conference.

[Merkin]

Haha, good old Jamelle Horne. Owner of two of the lowest basketball IQ plays in UA history.

Zeus was the #2 center in his class too. But I imagine the competition in New Hampshire is not what you expect in Southern California. Only average hands, and alligator arms, but he was a smart player and was always in the right place at the right time making his teammates look better.

Also, wasn't Fendi a 4 star? Dude could hardly play basketball, was just a superb athlete.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I would argue that guys leave early and transfer here due to the culture Sean has built. And the only metric I was using for the improvement was my eyes, which are old and blurry, so take them for what their worth (but looking at stats, the one you mentioned with PJC only rose from 39% to 42%). Maybe I am alone on an island with regards to development under Lute vs Sean and I know Lute is in a league of his own, but I feel like the majority of players regress or plateau early on under Sean's tight reins.

Per the NCAA:

about 40% of all men’s basketball players who enter Division I directly out of high school depart their initial school by the end of their sophomore year.

I tracked the last 5 years for Arizona. Of our HS recruits, we had 4 transfers (Doutrive, Barcello, Akot and Simon) out of 21 recruits, or just under 20%. I don't think we've done that badly.

Dwill got raised. Look at Gabe York, who did zilch his freshman year and because our primary scorer by a senior.

Kadeem got much better by his exit. Trier improved. We forget Zeus's senior year, but he improved over time too. Ristic made a big jump. There are plenty of guys.

[Postmaster]

Kadeem was JUCO player of the year.
And we thought he plateaued after a year. But a lot of that was his position.
IIRC Kadeem was supposed to play the 2 spot but Miller didn’t feel comfortable with PJC at the 1 so Kadeem played a lot more 1 than planned.

IMO,
Solomon Hill improved every year. Dwill made big strides in learning to dominate the game.
Dusan got better every year.

It’s hard to develop guys when they only stay for a year or two.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Kadeem was JUCO player of the year.
And we thought he plateaued after a year. But a lot of that was his position.
IIRC Kadeem was supposed to play the 2 spot but Miller didn’t feel comfortable with PJC at the 1 so Kadeem played a lot more 1 than planned.

IMO,
Solomon Hill improved every year. Dwill made big strides in learning to dominate the game.
Dusan got better every year.

It’s hard to develop guys when they only stay for a year or two.

Kadeem significantly improved his shooting from his junior to senior year. His rebounds went up a bit and his defensive win shares improved significantly as well.

He also did that on a much better team, which for me, matters a lot. I also count his NBA career, as I think it's fair and indicative of his improvement. In 2020, he was one of only 12 players from juco to play an NBA game.

[Merkin]

Allen did a lot better in the NBA than many more higher rated players such as Shakur, the 2nd rated PG in his class after Chris Paul. Although both pretty much more than just a cup of coffee.

[84Cat]

Well, there it is. Good job Robbins

[Chicat]

Super glad that story is in a national publication. Great job all around.

[azcat49]

Leak out that it’s the BOR standing in the way even though there is zero history of that ever happening.

He waits out a period of time that does untold damage to our program and hires some unknown to try and resurrect the program.

So much for Miller’s words about not knowing another coach having a better relationship with a school president

[Merkin]

I imagine Cole and Jeannie Davis have been on the horn over this with Robbins quite a bit as Scheer alluded two a couple of times in that article.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Well, there it is. Good job Robbins

Well, we look like a dysfunctional joke of an organization. Good job, Robbins.

It makes no sense to claim BOR won't approve a 2-3 year extension that's easy to get out of. That's a really lowball offer for major CBB.

[DrWildcat]

Well, we look like a dysfunctional joke of an organization. Good job, Robbins.

It makes no sense to claim BOR won't approve a 2-3 year extension that's easy to get out of. That's a really lowball offer for major CBB.

Looks dysfunctional? I think it is obvious by now that the Arizona athletic department is a joke. It can no longer be described as "looks", "appears to be", etc. It just is.

[dovecanyoncat]

Great. Just fucking great. This is all we needed at this point. Is there anybody in UofA leadership just dying to stick their dick in the blender? This is one good way to do it.

[dmjcat]

Here's the full USA Today article:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/c ... 937349002/

Opinion: Time for Arizona to make a decision on Sean Miller's future
Dan Wolken
USA TODAY


Through more than three years of allegations and innuendo about whether head coach Sean Miller would be implicated directly in the corruption that infiltrated the University of Arizona basketball program, the school stood by him. No matter how bad the headlines looked for Miller, no matter how much the ongoing NCAA investigation seemed like a guillotine inching toward his neck, Arizona never backed away from a coach who once seemed destined to return the Wildcats to the Final Four.

But now, at the very moment Miller has gained a degree of vindication, Arizona is paralyzed by dysfunction and indecision. With just one year left on his contract, Miller’s time in Tucson has reached a boiling point, presenting the school with a choice whether to cut ties now or double down on Miller through the end of its NCAA case.

Instead, according to two people with knowledge of the situation who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, Arizona is doing nothing.

Since Arizona’s season ended March 1 due to a self-imposed postseason ban, it has in essence created a standoff designed to either get Miller to walk away from the last $1.5 million he would be owed if fired or come back next season while the clock runs out on his contract — a situation that practically never happens at the Power Five level.

Sean Miller has a 302-109 record in his 12 seasons at Arizona.
“There’s no communication at all” between Miller and the school’s administration, one person with knowledge of the matter said.

Though Arizona president Dr. Robert Robbins stated publicly in recent days that he wants Miller to return as coach next season, he communicated in a brief meeting last week that he couldn’t get a contract extension approved by the school’s Board of Regents and left Miller with the impression that Robbins would prefer a parting of ways, according to one of the people, who is familiar with Miller’s thinking.

But even if Robbins wants to move Arizona past the Miller era, doing so without alienating some of the school’s biggest athletic boosters who are loyal to Miller or further burdening his cash-strapped athletic department won’t be easy.

At this point Miller does not intend to resign, according to one of the people, and the uncertainty over his punishment from the NCAA eliminates him from getting hired elsewhere in college basketball during this cycle.

At the same time, the two people told USA TODAY Sports that Miller is conflicted about a 2021-22 season without some kind of signal of support from the school, even a school-friendly token extension that would be easy to get out of.

Not only would daily speculation about Miller’s future consume all the oxygen next season, but recruiting would basically grind to a halt. And with the NCAA about to grant every player a one-time free transfer, there’s no guarantee Arizona’s current roster — which projects to be in the preseason top 25 — would come back in tact. Most coaches would rather just get fired than try to keep that circus together.

It’s hard to see the upside for Arizona in that situation, either. If Miller comes back next season on the last year of his contract, the smoke clears from the NCAA investigation and the school decides that keeping him long-term is their best option, they’ve unnecessarily kneecapped his rebuilding job. By the same token, if they let Miller coach next year and then get rid of him, the new coach inherits a decimated roster, no recruiting class and the brunt of whatever NCAA sanctions are imposed without the kind of head start in 2021-22 that might be valuable.

Hanging over all of this is uncertainty about when the NCAA is actually going to rule on Arizona’s case. Currently, it’s in the hands of the new Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP), the off-ramp where complex NCAA cases are handled. But the IARP has been moving at a glacial pace, and there are other FBI-related cases (like Kansas’) that are ahead of Arizona in the pipeline. It might take even another year before the case gets resolved.

So here’s the part that’s hard to figure: If Arizona has already come this far with Miller, why would it tuck and run now?

Though the school only made its NCAA Notice of Allegations public Friday after a judge ordered it to be released, Arizona officials have known the scope of the charges for months.

In totality the allegations are heavy, with five Level 1 (most serious) violations, ranging from academic fraud orchestrated by former assistants to former assistant Book Richardson accepting bribes to steer players toward certain agents. It’s serious stuff, and Arizona is likely going to end up with significant penalties, particularly given the public pressure on the NCAA to make hay out of the FBI investigation that uncovered all kinds of college basketball corruption.

But the only charge directed at Miller specifically was the catch-all NCAA rule that presumes head coaches are responsible for violations committed by their assistants and failing to monitor Richardson’s relationship with Christian Dawkins, the middleman who got caught up in the FBI’s sting operation into college basketball recruiting.

For Miller, just as notable was what didn’t appear in the Notice of Allegations.

No mention of Deandre Ayton, who was the subject of an explosive ESPN report in 2018 claiming, according to an unnamed person familiar with the FBI investigation, that Miller was caught on a wiretap discussing a $100,000 payment with Christian Dawkins. Miller strongly denied that, saying he had “never discussed” paying Ayton with Dawkins.

There was also no mention of point guard Jahvon Quinerly, who de-committed from Arizona after an unnamed player matching his description appeared in FBI documents allegedly accepting $15,000 from Richardson. Quinerly was later cleared by the NCAA.


There was no mention of Brian Bowen or Nassir Little, players that defendants in the case said Arizona had been willing to pay for.

There was no mention of the video played during Dawkins' 2019 trial of a conversation with an undercover agent in which Dawkins alleges Miller had knowledge of illegal recruiting.

After all the mud thrown at Miller over the past three-plus years that Arizona chose not to act on, what was the NCAA really able to pin on him at the end of the day? Not that much.

To be clear, none of that proves Miller’s innocence. But when you look at coaches who ran afoul of NCAA rules and got second chances from Bruce Pearl to Kelvin Sampson to Rick Pitino, there’s absolutely nothing in the Notice of Allegations that would end Miller's career.

Frankly, it's absurd Arizona didn’t just e-mail the document to every college basketball reporter in the country and instead fought its release in court.

Had Arizona fired Miller the moment the Richardson was arrested, it would have made sense. If they’d gotten rid of him when wiretaps started getting played in court and his name started coming up on the witness stand, it would have made sense.

At the time, though, Miller had been to three Elite Eights and two Sweet 16s in his first eight seasons. His track record as one of the game’s elite coaches made him worth standing by.

Now, with no new evidence against him and a Notice of Allegations that isn’t nearly as bad for Miller as many expected, it looks like Arizona is growing cold on him because of his recent record.

The cloud of investigation at Arizona has undeniably made recruiting more difficult, a reality that has played out with Miller focusing heavily on transfers and foreign players. Still, in a perverse way, it's been an impressive coaching job. Arizona went 17-9 this year, played hard to the very end despite no postseason carrot and could return eight of its top nine players next season.

At this point, it’s hard to tell whether Robbins is more upset about the scandal or the fact that Arizona hasn’t been a true contender for the past few years.

But once the school had the full scope of the allegations in hand last fall, it should have already had a gameplan in place to either show support for Miller or fire him the minute Arizona’s season ended. Instead, the past 10 days have played out in an awkward limbo, leaving everyone involved unsure of the resolution.

After three years of fighting back all kinds of allegations about how its program was run under Miller, Arizona has finally come to the moment where there’s a path toward conclusion. One way or another, it’s time for decisions to be made.

[SabinoDrifter]

This is some piss poor planning all around thrown under the guise of budget concerns so they can blame something on their indecisiveness. They should have contingency planned the shit out of all this the second the allegations came out.

[Spaceman Spiff]

This is some piss poor planning all around thrown under the guise of budget concerns so they can blame something on their indecisiveness. They should have contingency planned the shit out of all this the second the allegations came out.

Or at least December. There is literally no new info since then except how we performed in the second half of the season.

Budget concerns are total BS. We have to have someone coach the team. An extension does not implicate money we won't be spending regardless.

So, I have no idea why Robbins would bother saying BOR won't greenlight an extension. Unless we're planning on going without a coach, money will have to be utilized.

[gronk4heisman]

This is some piss poor planning all around thrown under the guise of budget concerns so they can blame something on their indecisiveness. They should have contingency planned the shit out of all this the second the allegations came out.

Or at least December. There is literally no new info since then except how we performed in the second half of the season.

Budget concerns are total BS. We have to have someone coach the team. An extension does not implicate money we won't be spending regardless.

So, I have no idea why Robbins would bother saying BOR won't greenlight an extension. Unless we're planning on going without a coach, money will have to be utilized.

When you see the way Bob Rob is handling this situation, Larry Scott being the commissioner for as long as he was begins to make a lot more sense.

[Chicat]

Obviously the BOR isn't against all extensions so what the fuck are they even talking about? That's the biggest crock of shit ever.

[dmjcat]

Obviously the BOR isn't against all extensions so what the fuck are they even talking about? That's the biggest crock of shit ever.

And how, exactly, do you know that??? Are you a member of the ABOR???

If the article is accurate, and Wolkens sources are telling the truth, Robbins hands may be tied. If the ABOR isn't going to allow a contract extension then Robbins only has two options: 1) Let Miller play out the contract; or 2) Fire him

I hope whats left of the journalists in the State of AZ are even know asking members of the ABOR if Wolkens article is accurate.

[Merkin]

So, I have no idea why Robbins would bother saying BOR won't greenlight an extension.

[SCCats]

So, I have no idea why Robbins would bother saying BOR won't greenlight an extension.

Oh

[Chicat]

Obviously the BOR isn't against all extensions so what the fuck are they even talking about? That's the biggest crock of shit ever.

And how, exactly, do you know that??? Are you a member of the ABOR???

*snort*

[dmjcat]

Obviously the BOR isn't against all extensions so what the fuck are they even talking about? That's the biggest crock of shit ever.

And how, exactly, do you know that??? Are you a member of the ABOR???

*snort*

is that cocaine you are snorting??

We still don't know what the truth is. Wolkens sources & story don't jive with Scheers tweet. Someone is not telling the truth. It would be good to get someone (multiple members of ABOR) on the record regarding Millers extension.

[Spaceman Spiff]

So, I have no idea why Robbins would bother saying BOR won't greenlight an extension.

Yeah, this screams Robbins using a copout.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Obviously the BOR isn't against all extensions so what the fuck are they even talking about? That's the biggest crock of shit ever.

And how, exactly, do you know that??? Are you a member of the ABOR???

If the article is accurate, and Wolkens sources are telling the truth, Robbins hands may be tied. If the ABOR isn't going to allow a contract extension then Robbins only has two options: 1) Let Miller play out the contract; or 2) Fire him

I hope whats left of the journalists in the State of AZ are even know asking members of the ABOR if Wolkens article is accurate.

Wolken's sources don't say Robbins's hands are tied.

Wolken's sources say Robbins claimed his hands are tied. That's a very different thing, and does not appear to comport with what ABOR says or facts.

This is what Wolken's source says:

"Though Arizona president Dr. Robert Robbins stated publicly in recent days that he wants Miller to return as coach next season, he communicated in a brief meeting last week that he couldn’t get a contract extension approved by the school’s Board of Regents and left Miller with the impression that Robbins would prefer a parting of ways, according to one of the people, who is familiar with Miller’s thinking."

I'd say Wolken's sources are implying the opposite of your conclusion. The idea seems to be Robbins is lying to Miller about the ABOR to deny an extension to try to get Miller to agree to some mutual severance.

[gronk4heisman]

Obviously the BOR isn't against all extensions so what the fuck are they even talking about? That's the biggest crock of shit ever.

And how, exactly, do you know that??? Are you a member of the ABOR???

*snort*

is that cocaine you are snorting??

We still don't know what the truth is. Wolkens sources & story don't jive with Scheers tweet. Someone is not telling the truth. It would be good to get someone (multiple members of ABOR) on the record regarding Millers extension.

Wolken's source is Robbins saying the ABOR wouldn't approve it. Scheer's source was the ABOR. I am not sure what truth we don't know? Only one of those parties has an agenda.

[dmjcat]

Obviously the BOR isn't against all extensions so what the fuck are they even talking about? That's the biggest crock of shit ever.

And how, exactly, do you know that??? Are you a member of the ABOR???

If the article is accurate, and Wolkens sources are telling the truth, Robbins hands may be tied. If the ABOR isn't going to allow a contract extension then Robbins only has two options: 1) Let Miller play out the contract; or 2) Fire him

I hope whats left of the journalists in the State of AZ are even know asking members of the ABOR if Wolkens article is accurate.

Wolken's sources don't say Robbins's hands are tied.

Wolken's sources say Robbins claimed his hands are tied. That's a very different thing, and does not appear to comport with what ABOR says or facts.

This is what Wolken's source says:

"Though Arizona president Dr. Robert Robbins stated publicly in recent days that he wants Miller to return as coach next season, he communicated in a brief meeting last week that he couldn’t get a contract extension approved by the school’s Board of Regents and left Miller with the impression that Robbins would prefer a parting of ways, according to one of the people, who is familiar with Miller’s thinking."

I'd say Wolken's sources are implying the opposite of your conclusion. The idea seems to be Robbins is lying to Miller about the ABOR to deny an extension to try to get Miller to agree to some mutual severance.

Not at all. Someone is simply not telling the truth.

Robbins may be lying.
Wolkens source may be feeding him a load of BS.........we don't really have enough concrete information to go on at the moment. Hopefully, someone from the Star/Republic can get multiple members of ABOR on record regarding Robbins claim.

[dmjcat]

Obviously the BOR isn't against all extensions so what the fuck are they even talking about? That's the biggest crock of shit ever.

And how, exactly, do you know that??? Are you a member of the ABOR???

*snort*

is that cocaine you are snorting??

We still don't know what the truth is. Wolkens sources & story don't jive with Scheers tweet. Someone is not telling the truth. It would be good to get someone (multiple members of ABOR) on the record regarding Millers extension.

Wolken's source is Robbins saying the ABOR wouldn't approve it. Scheer's source was the ABOR. I am not sure what truth we don't know? Only one of those parties has an agenda.

Not the way I interpret the article. Wolkens source is not Robbins. His source is someone from Millers camp. Here's the key part of the article:

Though Arizona president Dr. Robert Robbins stated publicly in recent days that he wants Miller to return as coach next season, he communicated in a brief meeting last week that he couldn’t get a contract extension approved by the school’s Board of Regents and left Miller with the impression that Robbins would prefer a parting of ways, according to one of the people, who is familiar with Miller’s thinking.


"According to one of the people who is familiar with Millers way of thinking".........thats NOT Robbins.

[MountainCat]

Wait, what, ...just got off work. What the hell is going on here?

Miller is our coach now and hopefully for years to come. You don’t hang with him this long just to point fingers at others. Only thing I can think is there must be some crappy ASU fan on the ABOR. That or we just need to get rid of Robbins. NOW.

[Chicat]

Robbins is lying to Miller. And not very well.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Obviously the BOR isn't against all extensions so what the fuck are they even talking about? That's the biggest crock of shit ever.

And how, exactly, do you know that??? Are you a member of the ABOR???

If the article is accurate, and Wolkens sources are telling the truth, Robbins hands may be tied. If the ABOR isn't going to allow a contract extension then Robbins only has two options: 1) Let Miller play out the contract; or 2) Fire him

I hope whats left of the journalists in the State of AZ are even know asking members of the ABOR if Wolkens article is accurate.

Wolken's sources don't say Robbins's hands are tied.

Wolken's sources say Robbins claimed his hands are tied. That's a very different thing, and does not appear to comport with what ABOR says or facts.

This is what Wolken's source says:

"Though Arizona president Dr. Robert Robbins stated publicly in recent days that he wants Miller to return as coach next season, he communicated in a brief meeting last week that he couldn’t get a contract extension approved by the school’s Board of Regents and left Miller with the impression that Robbins would prefer a parting of ways, according to one of the people, who is familiar with Miller’s thinking."

I'd say Wolken's sources are implying the opposite of your conclusion. The idea seems to be Robbins is lying to Miller about the ABOR to deny an extension to try to get Miller to agree to some mutual severance.

Not at all. Someone is simply not telling the truth.

Robbins may be lying.
Wolkens source may be feeding him a load of BS.........we don't really have enough concrete information to go on at the moment. Hopefully, someone from the Star/Republic can get multiple members of ABOR on record regarding Robbins claim.

Wolken's source is just stating what Robbins told Miller. Robbins could be (and I think is) feeding Miller BS.

But Wolken's sources are only talking about what Robbins represented to Miller, not that ABOR actually told Robbins that. So, there's not any necessary conflict.

Robbins lies to Miller and blames ABOR. Wolken's sources report what Robbins told Miller. Wolken's sources are correct about what was said, thee issue is whether Robbins is being honest or lying.

[Chicat]

This makes our AD look like a monkey fucking a football, but good for CSM's camp for planting this story and giving Robbins his shit or get off the pot moment in public. I would have done the exact same thing. Zero reason to stay quiet so incompetent and shady people can look good at your expense.

[TheCat]

Guys....the simplest explanation is the source is making it up and that Robbins said nothing of the sort. What ABOR said is what they have said all along. They trust the President to deal with his own athletic department. Who is the source close to Miller that knows his thinking? I don't believe Sean would be talking about this with anyone.

The one good thing from that article is that they call out the BS that was ESPN's article and say the charges against Miller are what we thought they would be. Failure to control assistants.

I think what we all agree with is this needs to end NOW. One way or the other.

[dmjcat]

Guys....the simplest explanation is the source is making it up and that Robbins said nothing of the sort. What ABOR said is what they have said all along. They trust the President to deal with his own athletic department. Who is the source close to Miller that knows his thinking? I don't believe Sean would be talking about this with anyone.

The one good thing from that article is that they call out the BS that was ESPN's article and say the charges against Miller are what we thought they would be. Failure to control assistants.

I think what we all agree with is this needs to end NOW. One way or the other.

Spot on. I do think that the Tucson media (if such a thing exists) need to harass Robbins/Heeke/Multiple members of the ABOR about Millers contract and get their position on the record in front of a camera. It would be nice to know whats actually going on instead of relying on sports reporters quoting "Sources who know Millers thinking"......whatever the hell that means.

I still think Miller needs to be extended Multiple years, with a provision in the contract that he can be fired with cause if the IARP hands down ANY sanctions. That would legally cover the UA's butt in the event that additional damning evidence comes out of the IARP hearing.

[Beachcat97]

Firing Miller now = many on our roster leave, sets us back at least two recruiting cycles

Extending him at least two years = current roster has a shot to get back to the tourney next year, Miller is given time to build new momentum

It just feels like parting ways now means we may not be back in the NCAA tourney until '23 at the soonest, which is just so, so crazy.

[Beachcat97]

https://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/salari ... all/coach/

Also, how is Sean only the 34th highest paid coach in the country?

[Merkin]

Extending him at least two years = current roster has a shot to get back to the tourney next year, Miller is given time to build new momentum

Did I miss something where the Cats may or will be eligible next season? I haven't followed this closely but I thought the Cats were looking at a 2+ year post season ban.

[zonagrad]

If I'm on the ABOR I'm more confident in Miller telling the truth than Robbins & Heeke -- and I'm more inclined to nod affirmation to an extension of Miller and then ask Robbins & Heeke if they'd like to tender their resignations.

As for the IARP, the NCAA's NOA was a well-spun argument that Miller's lawyers (UA lawyers) will have a field day tearing to bits.
First off - the Phelps saga was reported by the UA. That's part of compliance. An assistant loaned a player money for a plane ticket. Richard Jefferson had a plane ticket purchased by Bill Walton. Damon Stoudamire's father accepted a plane ticket from an agent. The penalty? Pay back the air fare and sit out one game. Suddenly the national media thinks Miller orchestrated some huge violation.

Lawyer's for Arizona should also enjoy tearing to pieces the argument of Book Richardson. The notion that Miller would be on board with an assistant coach with a history of personal problems and substance abuse coercing bribes from an agent is comical. Arizona can point to Richardson's previous suspension for substance abuse -- and Miller's loyalty to keep him on staff. Hell, Greg Hansen even ripped Miller years ago in a column when Book didn't get a decent raise and was the lowest paid assistant. Hansen implied that Miller wasn't rewarding his hard working assistant. The truth of the matter was that Richardson was damn fortunate to even have a job and not be kicked out of the program for his behavior -- and you can probably point to some HR policy that prevented Arizona from doing so. You don't think Miller lies awake at night thinking he should've fired Book years ago?

Think of the crap Miller has navigated the last three years. He's still managed to keep Arizona respectable when he had zero talent. He had Arizona a tournament team last year with three freshmen and a re-tread in Chase fucking Jeter and Dylan Smith. Good lord! Arizona was a tournament team again this year with an entirely revamped roster that's poised to return next year as a sure-fire top 25 team and likely picked to finish in the top 2-3 in the Pac.

Robbins & Heeke have played this whole thing like amateurs. If this was the mafia, Miller would be promoted to a Don and Robbins & Heeke would be wearing cement shoes.

[gronk4heisman]

Extending him at least two years = current roster has a shot to get back to the tourney next year, Miller is given time to build new momentum

Did I miss something where the Cats may or will be eligible next season? I haven't followed this closely but I thought the Cats were looking at a 2+ year post season ban.

They only self penalized for one year, this year. Obviously the IARP may add additional punishment but who knows what and when.

[Beachcat97]

Extending him at least two years = current roster has a shot to get back to the tourney next year, Miller is given time to build new momentum

Did I miss something where the Cats may or will be eligible next season? I haven't followed this closely but I thought the Cats were looking at a 2+ year post season ban.

They only self penalized for one year, this year. Obviously the IARP may add additional punishment but who knows what and when.

That's my understanding as well. For now, a '21 tourney bid is in play, and that's meaningful, imo.

[Postmaster]

Wolken was just on 1450.
I didn’t catch whole interview but one thing that stood out to me was he straight up said that Robins was running the show and Heeke has no say so in this.

[Beachcat97]

Wolken was just on 1450.
I didn’t catch whole interview but one thing that stood out to me was he straight up said that Robins was running the show and Heeke has no say so in this.

And does this make it more, or less, likely that Sean will stay our coach?

[Postmaster]

Another thing Wolken said:
He was asked what he thought of the U of A not releasing the NOA in December.
He said people had postulated to him, and he didn’t disagree, that the motivation was that Robbins was embarrassed that he was named in NOA as interfering in investigation.
Wolken said that it’s pretty rare when a compliance officer or a school Pres. Gets named in this situation.